Trolley.



W. ROHKOHL.

TROLLEY.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. a, 1914.

1,099,61 8, Patented June 9,1914.

0" Inventor:

7 Wilhelm hkohl,

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co.. WASHINGTON, nv c His fi ttorneg.

ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHEIJM RUI-IKOHL, 0F POTSDAllI, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRICCOMPANY, A CORPGRATION OF NEW YORK.

TROLLEY.

Application filed February 3, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILI-IELM ROHKOHL, a

subject of'the' 'Ifin'g' of Prussia," residingat Potsdam, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to trolleys, its aim being to provide for thecollection or transmission of current from the trolley wire with variousadvantages and to meet even the most difficult conditions of service.

Among the advantages obtainable in trolleys constructed in accordancewith my invention, I may mention the ability to deal with heavycurrents; the most uninterrupted possible collection of current 011 highspeed railways; freedom from derangement; and simplicity, strength,ruggedness, and durability.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a plurality of contactmembers, preferably arranging them on apparatus of the pantograph typeso that at least one always rests on the trolley wire and that thedescent or lowering of one collector bow or other rubbing or rollingcontact member affects another as little as possible. To obtain theselatter results, it is best to arrange the contact members as far apartas possible, and also to aim at combining strength of the whole trolleyapparatus or system against vibration with the utmost elasticity andwith lightness of the moving parts; and I have hereinafter shown anddescribed forms of trolley in which two contact members are carried bysimple and rugged double pantographs or shears whereby these and otheradvantages are secured. While, however, these structures are the best atpresent known to me, and while my invention extends to these particularforms of apparatus and to their specific features and details and theirvarious novel combinations and an rangements of parts, yet the inventionis not confined thereto, but can be otherwise carried out and embodied.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representationof one form of double pantograph or shears trolley. Fig.2 is anelevation of a somewhat modified form of trolley structure, and Fig. 3is a plan showing the same trolley lowered, certain parts being omittedto avoid confusion.

The trolley, as shown in Fig. 1, is movably Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented J une 9, 1914:-

Serial No. 816,179.

"hicle'; "The l'owershear arm members 2, 2

swing about these axles 1 and are compelled to move in unison by a link3 connecting the crank arms t, 4 which are rigidly connected to said armmembers. To the upper ends of the lower shear arm members 2 are pivotedthe upper shear arm members 5, The upper end of each of these upper armmembers 5 is connected by one of two members 6, 6 with an intern'iediatepoint 7 of the opposite lower arm member 2, these members 6 crossingeach other diagonally and serving to stitl'en or strengthen the wholesystem. The collector bows 8 which slide on the trolley conductor orwire 9 are pivoted at the apices of the two complete pantographs orshears formed by the several parts,the one, that is, by the left-handupper shear arm member 5, the cross-rod member 6 pivoted thereto, andthe two lower arm members 2, and the other by the right hand upper sheararm member 5, the cross-rod member 6 pivoted thereto, and the two lowerarm members 2.

In the case of a trolley comprising two parallel systems or structuresmounted on the opposite ends of the main axles, as far apart aspossible, it is not really necessary that the systems be independentlyor coextensively constructed as complete shears or pantographs; indeed,it is enough for one side of the trolley to be of shear construc tionand the contact members to be supported in some other suitable way onthe other side. The advantages of the double shears or pantograph canalso be obtained with the shear parts of one side of the trolleyconnected with the shear parts of the other side by crossing somewhatdiagonally extending shear arm members.

It will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3 that in the double trolley thereinshown the axles 10 and 11 are mounted in a framework 12 which is in turnsupported on the roof of the locomotive or car by insulating means 13.As shown, each of the lower shear arm members 141, 141- and 15, 15consists of two rods (preferably hollow) secured together and to acommon bearing part 16 at their upper ends and secured to a crank part17 at their lower ends, so that the arm member is a light rigidstructure. The crank parts 17 associated with the lower left-hand sheararm members 14 at opposite sides of the trolley are secured to the endsof the shaft 10 so that said arm members 14: must swing together, andthe crank parts 17 associated with the lower right-hand arm members 15are similarly secured to the shaft 11, so that said arm members 15 mustalso swing to gether; and at both front and rear of the trolleystructuremeaning by front the side of the trolley toward the observer inFig. 2, and by rear the side away from him in that figurethe crank parts17 on the shafts 10 and 11 are connected together by a link member 18,so that all the lower arm members must move in unison. The upperleft-hand shear arm members 19 and the axle or pivot 20 by which theyare se cured to the corresponding lower shear arms 14 are formed by arod or tube bent to a broad and angular U form and arranged with theaxle portion 20 extending through the bearing parts 16, and the upperright hand shear arm members 21 and the corre sponding axle 22 aresimilarly constructed and arranged. The upper ends of the upper armmembers 19 and 21 at the front of the trolley are connected together bya top member 23 having end pieces with flattened ears or lugs 24 and 25adapted to be pivoted to the ends of the arm members, and thecorresponding upper arm members 19 and 21 at the rear of the trolley areconnected together in like manner. The diagonal member 26 extendingupward from the left at the front of the trolley is preferably pivotallyconnected to the rear arm member 11 as well as to the front one,thepivot or axle 27 being shown as consisting of a rearwardly bent portionof the rod or tubing which extends through lugs 28 secured to the armmembers 14E,and the diagonal member 29 extending upward from the rightat the rear of the trolley is similarly connected to both the armmembers 15. The upper ends of the diagonals 26 and 29 are pivoted to thecorresponding ends of the corresponding members 23 and of thecorresponding upper arm members 19 and 21 by the same pivots by whichsaid members 23 and arms 19 and 21 are secured together, being providedwith suitable end pieces or caps 30 and 31 for this purpose. The contactbows 32 and 83 (omitted from Fig. 3) are prefer-ably of a suitablywidened U form, this not appearing,and are provided with rubbing stripsand 35 of aluminum or other suitable metal. The ends of the bows 32 and33 are pivoted to lugs or ears 36 and 37 at the ends of the members 23,and the bows are independently and yieldingly held up against thetrolley wire 38 by helical tension springs 40 and a1 connectedrespectively between crank arms 12 and 43 associated with the respectivebows and the pivots on which the bows are mounted.

It will be seen that though the sides of the trolley structure shown inFigs. 2 and 3 are slightly different from the double pantographconstruction shown in Fig. 1, yet with regard to the support andmovement of the contact bows 32 and 33 each side is neverthelesssubstantially an independent double pantograph or shears in which eachof the top members 23 in a manner corresponds to one of the diagonalmembers 26 or 29 which help to form the simple pantographs that includesaid members 26 and 29, coacting with the arm members 1 1 and 15 notincluded in said simple pantographs in the support of the contacts andso in effect forming other simple pantographs. Thus the support affordedthe contacts by each side of the system is in a measure independent ofthe other side, each side being equivalent to the type of double shearsor pantograph shown in Fig. 1.

The trolley shown is maintained in elevated position by resilientlyyielding means comprising helical tension springs 1% arranged in pairsadjacent the lower shear arms 14 and 15. Referring to the left of Figs.1 and 2 and to the front of the trolley structure in Fig. 2, it will beseen that there is an outwardly and upwardly extending crank arm 45secured to the axle 20 just in front of the bearing part 16. To this arm15 is pivoted an irregular shaped cam link 46 whose curved inner siderests against the hub of said arm 45. To the cam link 16 is pivoted alink 47, and to this link 17 is in turn pivoted a rod 48 whichtelescopes within a tube e9 whose lower end carries an end piece 50which is pivoted to a crank arm 51 mounted on one end of a hollow sleeve52 that surrounds the shaft 10 and contains the bearings for the latter.The crank arm 51 is mounted on the extreme end of the sleeve 52 betweenits bearing 53 in the framework 12 and the crank part 17 on the end ofthe shaft 10, its end overhanging said part 17 so that the parts as and4:9 lie in front of the lower arm member 1 1. The springs a l areconnected between a cross-head 5a adjustably mounted on the rod &8 andthe end piece 50, one at each side of the parts 48 and 4:9. The slidingof the rod 48 within the tube &9 is limited by an adjustable stop 55 onsaid rod. The other springs 44 are similarly mounted and arranged, beingconnected to a sleeve 56 that surrounds the shaft 11. As the trolleycollapses in consequence of variation in the height of the trolley wire38, the cam links 46 act to make the resulting extension of the springs44 greater than it would otherwise be and to increase the effectivelever arms by which the springs 44: act to raise the lower shear armmembers 14: and 15 and counteract the collapse, and vice versa. When thetrolley is lowered or raised as hereinafter described, similar action ofthe cam links 46 helps to cushion the movement.

The raising and lowering of the trolley is effected by turning thesleeves 52 and 56 in opposite directions. As shown, there are crank arms57 and 58 on said sleeves 52 and 56, and each of these crank arms isconnected by a link 60 to one arm of a crank 61 pivoted to the framework12 at 62. The other arms of the cranks 61 are connected by links 63 to acrosshead 64 on the piston rod 65 associated with a cylinder 66 mountedon the frame-work 12, the rear of this cylinder being connected by apipe 67, etc., to suitable air control means (not shown) within thelocomotive or car. As long as a suitable degree of pressure ismaintained on the piston in the cylinder 66, the trolley will remainelevated as shown in full lines in Fig. 2; when the pressure isreleased, the trolley will descend to the position indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 3. When the trolley islowered, the parts 18, 28, 26, and 29 will rest on suitable brackets 68that project from the framework 12; these brackets are shown in Fig. 3,but are omitted from Fig. 2 to avoid confusion.

l/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. A multiple contact trolley structure comprising a simple pantographaffording support for one contact and a plurality of additional memberspivotally connected to members of said pantograph and to one another andaffording support for another contact.

2. A multiple contact trolley structure comprising two simple shearshaving separate pivotally connected contact supporting members andhaving common lower arm members.

3. A double shear trolley comprising two simple shears so united as tohave common stationary axes and common lower shear arm members,

4. A trolley structure comprising two pivotally mounted lower armmembers, two upper arm members each pivoted to one of said lower armmembers, a member connecting one of said upper arm members with thelower arm member that is pivoted to the other upper arm member, and anadditional member connecting said latter upper arm member to anothermember.

5. A multiple contact trolley comprising parallel trolley structureseach comprising two simple shears each having separate pivotallyconnected contact supporting members and common lower arm members, alower arm member of each of said trolley structures being connected witha contact supporting member of the other by a diagonally extendingmember.

6. A multiple contact trolley comprising two parallel trolley structureseach comprising two pivotally mounted lower arm mem bers, two upper armmembers each pivoted to one of said lower arm members, a memberconnecting one of said upper arm members with the lower arm member thatis pivoted to the other upper arm member, and an additional memberconnecting said latter upper arm member to another member, the upper armmembers connected to lower arm members as aforesaid in the two paralleltrolley structures being at opposite ends thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of January1914.

WILHELM ROHKOI-IL.

Witnesses VVALTHER REINHARD, Enron LEVY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

